The Best Day of Her Life
by Karen Weasley
Summary: It is Elsa's 21st birthday, and Anna has planned the perfect party for her to celebrate with the kingdom. Elsa wants no parts of it, but she can't help but be intrigued by the surprise her sister has promised. Will it have anything to do with the young man she met on the North Mountain the year before? First attempt at Jelsa!
1. Chapter 1

**_For the First Time in Forever_**

Elsa sighed as she stared at her reflection. She was going to kill Anna for this! How could she have let her crazy, extroverted sister talk her into this? Nothing about this felt remotely comfortable – in fact, the only part of the plan Elsa was looking forward to was it being over later that night. She carefully pinned her hair into its queenly position at the back of her head just as a familiar knock sounded on the door.

"Elsa!"

"Go away Anna," Elsa groaned.

"You know that doesn't work anymore," Anna replied in a sing-song voice. "It's time for your party, and everyone is waiting!"

Elsa groaned into her hands. Although no one would know it based on her actions, today was Elsa's twenty first birthday, and the entire kingdom was celebrating. The morning was reserved for just the court: a luncheon with her closest advisors and family. Elsa wasn't truly dreading that part. She had meetings with the court all the time, and being the center of attention in that group was normal by now. This was the formal part of the day. This was the time when Elsa's uptight manner wouldn't be questioned, it was required. What Elsa was dreading was…

"I can't wait for you to see the ballroom tonight!" Anna said excitedly through the door. "This party is going to be perfect!"

Elsa made no sound, but the look she gave herself in the mirror was one of utter terror. _That _was the part of the day she was dreading with every fiber of her being. Anna, in all her good intentions, had planned a party for the kingdom to celebrate their queen's birthday. When Elsa had found out, she had shut herself in her room for the remainder of the day – too afraid and angry to face her sister.

When she had finally emerged to demand the party be called off, Anna had flatly refused and insisted on the crazy celebration anyway. Unfortunately, Elsa had not been able to deny Anna anything since the Big Freeze as Arendelle referred to it, and she had caved to the power of her sister's persuasion.

"You're not still worried about this, are you?" Anna asked.

"Of course I am!" Elsa sighed. "Do you remember the last time we had a party?"

"That was before you revealed your powers," Anna argued as though it was obvious. "This time will be different. Besides, I have a surprise for you that you can't miss!"

Elsa opened the door and peered at her younger sister through the crack. "What surprise?"

"Oh no! I'm not telling!" Anna laughed. "I wasn't even supposed to say I had a surprise. He'd be so mad if I ruined-oops!" she gasped and covered her mouth.

"He?" Elsa asked, getting more worried now.

"Uh…yeah…Kristoff, yeah!" Anna stumbled. "He worked so hard to set this up and would be really upset if I ruined it, so…got to go, bye!" she rushed away before Elsa could press her further.

The luncheon with her court went as Elsa had expected: simple and proper. She wasn't expected to let her hair down, relax, or feel anything at all. She was the queen in that environment: in charge. Nothing happened to drive her out of her comfort zone…nothing made her afraid.

Now, though, she was faced with the prospect of a party with the kingdom where she would no doubt be expected to dance, mingle, and generally live outside of her comfort zone. For the thousandth time, she considered just not going downstairs and locking her door against her sister, but she knew that would never work. Anna would be so disappointed, and a tiny part of Elsa would be disappointed too.

That part of Elsa had only recently formed due to a random encounter she had had on the North Mountain one day. After the Big Freeze, although she had been accepted by her people, Elsa still found herself craving space and isolation from time to time. So, she had decided to travel back to the North Mountain and fix her ice palace as a place to relax and get away from everything when she needed to.

She had just finished fixing the fallen chandelier and was standing on the balcony watching the sun gleam off her beloved ice when she had first heard _his _voice.

"And I thought I knew ice." The smirk was obvious even before Elsa whipped around. "You could put me right out of business."

The speaker was a young man dressed in a hooded jacket and torn pants and leaning on a wooden staff. His hair was almost the same color as Elsa's: white blonde. His eyes sparkled and gleamed brightly from the light caught in her ice.

"Who are you?" Elsa gasped. "How did you find me here?"

"Whoa easy there, icy," he laughed, raising his hands in surrender. "This ice is pretty hard to miss. I just wanted to see where it came from. And by the way, I'm Jack Frost."

Elsa's eyes widened. "Are you really?" she asked in awe. "I've always wanted to meet you."

"Is that right?" Jack asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Any particular reason why?"

"I thought you might be able to understand…" Elsa muttered. "Or at least help me."

"Help you how?" Jack frowned, picking up his staff and taking a few steps towards her.

"Get rid of these powers," Elsa admitted quietly. "When I was little, all I wanted was to be normal."

"I can understand that," Jack sighed. "But don't you see how wonderful you are?" he pressed. "I mean, look at this place! It's like…perfect!"

Elsa smiled. "Thank you."

"What's your name?" Jack asked finally. "And how have we never met before?"

"Oh I'm Elsa, and I don't get out much. I stayed locked up in my room for most of my life."

"Why?" Jack wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"My powers were dangerous…are dangerous," Elsa sighed. "My parents did it to protect me from everyone, and to protect everyone from me."

Jack frowned. "That doesn't sound right. You're special, not a monster."

Elsa smiled sadly. "Not many people saw it that way." Suddenly, she started. "Wait, why am I telling you all of this?" she cried. "I don't even know you!"

Jack threw his head back and laughed. "I guess I'm just that kind of guy. I know how to get to people."

"How do I know I can trust you?" she asked suspiciously.

"You don't," Jack replied with a shrug. "But, if you wait to find out if you can trust me, you never will."

"What?" Elsa whispered from behind her rapidly closing walls.

"Well, you have to get to know a person to know if you can trust them, but you can't get to know them if you don't trust them, so if you wait, you'll never know," Jack explained. "It's what I've learned over three hundred years of existence."

"Three hundred years?!" Elsa repeated, her eyes wide.

Jack rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Yeah…mine's kind of a never ending gig, you know? I'm a Guardian now – responsible for spreading fun wherever I go."

Elsa's eyes widened even further. "And I thought being Queen was tough," she muttered finally.

"Tell you what," Jack laughed. "Why don't we both take a day off and just have some fun with our powers?"

Elsa bit her lip. She knew there was a pile of proposals and taxes waiting for her at home, but she had come out here with the express purpose of giving herself a break, so…

"Ouch!" she suddenly gasped as a freezing snowball collided with her shoulder.

"Took too long, Elsa!" Jack laughed.

"Oh yeah?" Elsa smirked, twirling her left hand behind her back. "Your turn!" she yelled as the snowball left her hand and hit Jack dead in the face.

She giggled behind her hand as Jack gasped and sputtered, trying to wipe the worst of the snow from his eyes.

"Oh now it's on!" he growled, leaping into the air and chasing her giggling form through the ice palace and out into the snow.

Several hours and hundreds of snowballs later, Jack and Elsa sat on the balcony of her ice palace watching the sunset gleam off the surrounding snow making it look like thousands of the brightest diamonds.

"Jack?" Elsa said finally.

"Hmm?" he hummed softly.

"Can I be honest with you?"

"'Course you can, El." The nickname was a result from a rather timely snowball to the face, cutting off her name from his lips. He had decided he liked it.

"Today was the best day of my life."

Jack smiled at her hurried speech. "Mine too, El…mine too."

"I don't want to go back…" she admitted quietly.

"But you have to."

"Will you leave?"

"Not yet. Meet me here tomorrow, please?"

"I don't know…" Elsa sighed. "I have work to do…"

"Pleeeeeease," Jack begged, giving her his best puppy eyes.

Elsa smacked his shoulder. "Don't do that to me!" She sighed. "I'll try, alright?"

Jack grinned in triumph and stood, offering his hand down to help her up as well. "Then I'll see you tomorrow, Elsa."

"Ok," Elsa replied with a smile.

They spent the rest of the week meeting at the North Mountain to talk, goof around, or experiment with their powers. It was clear to Elsa that Jack was honestly impressed with what she could do, and she found herself craving his company more and more as the days wore on. There was just something about him she couldn't explain or rationalize, but she knew that she wanted to be around him all the time.

It was on the last night of the week that Jack broke the silence as they watched the sunset yet again. "Hey El?" he began, turning to face her.

"Hmm?" she sighed, looking at him with a smile.

"There's something I need to tell you." He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "I…I don't think you're going to like it very much."

"What's wrong?" Elsa asked, immediately concerned.

"Listen, this has nothing to do with you, believe me I'd love to stay here, but I have…I have to…to leave for a little while."

"L-leave?" Elsa stuttered. "Why?"

"It's my job," Jack sighed. "I'm a Guardian, and I have responsibilities to the kids of the world. I have to go take care of them."

Elsa fought the tears pricking at her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, El," Jack gushed. "I wish I could stay, really I do, but this…this is…"

"Your responsibility," Elsa finished with a small sniff. "I understand. I have responsibilities too."

"So you're not mad at me?" Jack whispered.

"Of course not," Elsa smiled sadly. "I'm not mad. I just…"

"I know, Snowflake," he replied, using the other, more special nickname he had given her earlier in the week. "I wish I could stay too." He pulled her to lean on his shoulder, but she turned and hugged him tightly instead.

"Will you be back?" she whispered into his sweatshirt.

"I promise," Jack whispered back, resting his head on top of her hair and reciprocating the pressure of the hug. "I don't know when for sure, but I'll be back."

Elsa sighed at the memory as she brushed through her hair. That had been almost a year ago, and she missed Jack terribly. She had eventually been caught crying by her sister and had to confess what had happened. Anna had been thrilled at the notion her sister might have a love interest, and quickly assured her that Jack would keep his promise.

Every now and then Elsa could swear she heard his laugh faintly through the winter wind, but she couldn't be sure it wasn't just her imagination.

"He would want me to go tonight," she whispered to her reflection. "He would tell me I was being silly and to go have fun. If only he were here…"

"Elsa?" Anna's voice echoed through the door.

"Come in, Anna," Elsa smiled.

"Want some help getting ready?" Anna asked, already dressed in her gown for the evening.

"I'd love some," Elsa replied.

"You were thinking about Jack again, weren't you?" Anna smiled knowingly.

"I miss him so much! I just wish…"

"Don't worry, he'll show up again…probably when you least expect it too," Anna smirked behind her sister's back. "Trust me."

An hour later, Elsa stood at the doors to the ballroom dressed in her favorite ice dress with her hair in its famous braid over her shoulder. Her nerves had by no means calmed as the party came closer, but she was determined to do Jack proud and try to enjoy herself. It was her birthday after all, she should have fun!

She could hear the crowds of people talking and laughing on the other side of the door, and the sound nearly drove her back up the stairs to her room, but she forced back her nerves and stayed put. Finally, she heard her sister announce her, and the doors to the hall opened: no going back now.

Elsa held her head high and walked slowly into the room to greet the applause and well wishes of her people. She smiled and nodded as she walked through the crowd up to her appointed place at the head of the hall. Once she had reached her throne, she turned with a smile. "Please, enjoy yourselves!" she called, and the music and dancing began once again.

With a sigh of relief, she practically fell into her seat beside her sister who was smirking at her.

"I am so glad that's over," Elsa smiled.

"I'm glad you're glad because it's time for your surprise!" Anna squealed.

"Oh no, Anna!" Elsa cried. "Nothing over the top, please!"

"Trust me, you're going to love it!" Anna reassured her.

"What is it?" Elsa groaned, resigning herself to the worst.

She suddenly caught the scent of fresh snow as a voice whispered in her ear, the smirk obvious, "Gee, I'm happy to see you too, Snowflake!"

_**So this is my first attempt at Jelsa, but I really love them, so I had to give it a try. What did you think? I'll have the second part up as soon as I can, but I would love your feedback, so please leave a review! Thank you!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Let it Go_**

_She suddenly caught the scent of fresh snow as a voice whispered in her ear, the smirk obvious, "Gee, I'm happy to see you too, Snowflake!"_

Elsa screamed and whirled around.

"JACK!" she gasped, smiling from ear to ear.

"Hey El, miss me?" he laughed as she launched herself out of her throne, forgetting all thoughts of decorum as she hugged the life out of him.

"Surprise!" Anna giggled.

"Oh Anna!" Elsa sobbed. "You…I can't even…thank you so much!"

"You're welcome!" Anna squealed. "I wanted to make you happy."

"You did, Anna…you did," Elsa breathed, refusing to relinquish her hold on Jack. "I missed you so much," she breathed against his neck.

"I missed you too, El," Jack replied honestly. "I thought of you all the time."

"Why did you stay away so long?" Elsa asked breathily, pulling away just enough to see his face. "Where did you go? What did you see? What did you do the whole time? What-"

"Whoa slow down there, Snowflake," Jack laughed. "I can only answer one question at a time, you know."

Anna giggled behind her hand. "I don't think I've ever heard you talk this much before, Elsa."

"I just know how to get to people," Jack grinned. "Now, would m'lady care to join me in a dance in honor of her birthday?"

"I would be honored," Elsa smiled, accepting the hand Jack offered as he guided her down the steps to where the other couples were dancing and trying to hide their grins at the state of the queen.

Elsa fought her nerves as Jack gracefully spun her in so they were practically chest-to-chest. He gently took her hand in his and slid his other hand around her waist.

"Relax, Snowflake," he whispered in her ear as they began to slowly sway back and forth. "Just trust me."

Smiling, Elsa allowed him to guide her across the floor, gracefully weaving in and out of the other couples, lost in their own world. "Now that you're enjoying yourself," Jack smirked, "why don't you try asking me some of those questions again?"

Elsa giggled. "Alright. Where did you go?" she asked, more eager to hear of his travels than she was to talk about his long absence from her life.

"Wow you picked a tough one," Jack laughed. "I've been…well…everywhere!" he finally said wistfully. "It's my job to travel the world and spread fun everywhere I go," he explained. "So, when winter comes, I go and help the kids have fun."

"What's the rest of the world like?" Elsa asked.

"A lot like here," Jack admitted. "You know, people living and doing their own thing, kingdoms running just like this one, same old same old."

"Oh," Elsa whispered.

"But I still like it here best," Jack continued.

"Why?"

"Because this place has something that none of those other places has: you," he smirked, rubbing her nose with his own.

Elsa blushed and buried her head against his neck to hide the color. She heard Jack laughing, but it was still several moments before she found the courage to face him again. "So you told me you were one of the Guardians before you left," she began. "Who are the others?"

"Oh you'd love them!" Jack gushed immediately at the mention of his friends. "Let's see, there's Tooth – she's the tooth fairy…she's actually a lot like your sister," he admitted after a moment's thought. "Then there's North. He's kind of more the fathering type I guess. He can be a bit too happy at times, but you get used to that. Oh and then there's Bunny, and you'd love him!"

"Why?" Elsa asked, eager to keep him so happy.

"He tortures me, that's why," Jack laughed. "He and I are always picking on each other! You and he would get along just fine. And then there's Sandy. He's probably my favorite…I guess you could call him my best friend in a way."

"What does he do?"

"He's the Sandman: responsible for spreading good dreams," Jack explained. "He doesn't talk, but he still gets his point across. He's just really understanding. Whenever I'd start missing you too much, he'd give me dreams of you to keep me happy."

"He sounds really sweet," Elsa smiled. "It sounds like you have some really good friends out there," she continued, her face falling slightly.

"What's wrong, Elsa?" Jack asked, concerned at her abrupt change.

"Oh, nothing," she tried to assure him. "I'm fine."

Jack gently tilted her chin so she was looking at him again. "Don't lie to me, El. Tell me what's wrong. You were so happy a minute ago."

"It's just…" Elsa hesitated. "I guess…I'm just worried that you'll leave and won't come back next time! I mean, you were gone for a whole year, and what if…what if…what if you just don't come back to me? I'm not much to come back for, after all."

Jack gaped at her for a moment before seizing her hand. "Come with me," he said and pulled her out of the ballroom into the garden just outside. He led her through the rows of hedges to a secluded spot surrounded by rose bushes. Their sweet aroma filled the air as Jack guided Elsa to sit on a bench between two large bushes. He knelt before her and took her hands tightly in his own.

"Now you listen to me, Elsa," he said, all traces of teasing gone. "I know I left for a long time, and I know that was hard on you. It was hard on me too…I missed you all the time! I couldn't wait to get back here, but it is my job, and I have to be responsible for that."

Elsa felt several tears slip from the corners of her eyes, and Jack gently wiped them away before reclaiming his grip on her hands.

"El, I don't know how you could possibly think you're not enough to keep me coming back. I've never met anyone like you, and I don't just mean your powers. You mean a lot to me, and I promise to keep coming back as long as you're here waiting for me." He kissed the back of her hands gently and smiled into her eyes. "Now, why don't we have some fun our way?"

Elsa giggled as he wagged his eyebrows at her. "What did you have in mind?"

"How about ice skating?" Jack asked eagerly.

Elsa nodded, and Jack excitedly pulled her to a clear space in the garden. "Let me, pleeeease?" he begged. "I've been working on it since you taught me last year!"

After seeing her nod, Jack began running around the area, dragging his staff behind him causing the grass to freeze into sharp spikes across the ground. Panting, Jack returned to Elsa's side and groaned in frustration when he saw how uneven the ice was behind him. "Dang it," he sighed.

Elsa fought to cover her laugh behind her hand. "Why don't you let me help?" she asked. She gently placed her foot against the ground and watched as the ice began to even out across the clearing.

"I will never be as good at that as you," Jack admitted. "You make it look like an art or something. I wish I could do that."

"We'll work on it before you have to leave again," Elsa assured him before pulling him out onto the ice with her. "Now show me what you've got Mr. Frost," she smirked.

Jack gulped and staggered out onto the ice behind her. Although it had been his idea, he had forgotten just how much trouble he had walking on ice…he usually flew above it. He could hear Elsa fighting back laughter as he struggled to maintain balance, fighting his way across the ice towards her. "WHOA!" he cried as he managed to reach her and seize her arms, but he lost his balance and fell, bringing Elsa down with him.

Both laughed as they continued to drift across the ice. "Nice moves, Jack," Elsa teased.

"It's a gift," Jack grinned sheepishly. "Well, at least your people are enjoying the show," he added as he noticed the entire party laughing at the edge of the clearing.

Elsa looked up and saw the crowd as well. Still smiling, she stood to address them. "Please join us!" she cried. "Come have fun!"

Her people cheered and began to skate around the ice while she continued to laugh at Jack's feeble attempts to skate with her.

A few hours later, the part had disbanded, and Elsa was standing at the gates saying her goodbyes to the remaining guests. "Thank you so much for coming!" she smiled at the last guest before the gates were finally closed for the night.

"Well, happy birthday, Elsa!" Anna yawned. "I hope you enjoyed your party."

"Thank you, Anna," Elsa grinned. "I can't thank you enough for bringing Jack here."

"You're welcome," Anna yawned again. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Anna," Elsa laughed as her sister practically dragged herself up the stairs towards her room.

"Does that mean you'll be off to bed too?" Jack whispered in her ear, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Why? Did you have something else in mind?" Elsa asked.

"Let's go up the mountain," Jack suggested.

"Alright."

They sat together once again on the balcony of Elsa's ice palace watching the stars appear and disappear around the clouds.

"Did you really miss me while you were gone?" Elsa asked Jack after a little while.

"Of course I did," Jack smiled indulgently. "Like I told you, Sandy used to give me dreams of you so I wouldn't run off. He never told the others, though. I mean, Tooth would freak, North would get all excited, and Bunny would never let me hear the end of it. Elsa…" he began quietly.

"Hmm?"

"If I told you something…would you promise not to, I mean…would you…I mean…"

"What is it, Jack?"

"I wish I could stay here with you all the time."

"You told me that before," Elsa replied, confused.

"That's not the thing I'm having trouble telling you," Jack sighed. "I guess…the problem is the reason why. And I don't mean it's a problem like I don't want it, I just mean I'm having a problem trying to tell you about it," he rambled nervously.

"Whatever it is, just tell me, Jack," Elsa assured him.

Jack turned to face her and took a deep breath. "The truth is that I want to stay because I care about you…you know, a lot, and it makes me crazy being without you like that. All I could think about was you and the way you made me feel so…alive! I've never had as much fun as I have with you, and I don't want that to end. I…I think…no, I _know_…I l-love you, Elsa."

Elsa felt the breath catch in her throat as Jack finished his speech. She had no idea what to say in response…no one had ever even in her dreams said such a thing to her! She had never imagined Jack would actually return the feelings she had admitted to herself months ago.

"So, even if you don't feel the same way, I just want you to know that I'll always come back because I can't just go on like I never met you…you've ruined me in the best way, Snowflake," Jack smiled. "But, hey! It's almost midnight!"

Elsa smiled.

"Did you enjoy your birthday?" he asked. "Was it 'The Best Day of Your Life'?" he teased, recalling her words from over a year ago.

"No…it wasn't," Elsa admitted, hiding her smirk.

Jack's face fell, and he opened his mouth to question her, but Elsa put a finger to his lips.

"Today is," she declared as the clock in Arendelle began to strike the hour of midnight. She gently cupped his cheek in her hand and smiled before leaning in and gently pushing her lips against his.

After a moment of shock, Jack melted into her and reciprocated the kiss as he wrapped his arms tightly around her, pulling her as close as he could.

"I love you," Elsa breathed once they had pulled apart.

"I love you too, Snowflake," Jack sighed, pulling her close to his side and leaning his head on hers as she nestled against his shoulder.

And there they sat as the moon and stars continued to shine light that glinted magically against the ice of the palace and the snow below, making everything shine and glimmer like a thousand diamonds.

_**Sorry for the wait on the second part, everyone! I ran short on inspiration and didn't want to post until I was sure it was good enough. I'm finally happy with this, and I hope you all are as well. Thank you so much for the response to the first part - it meant the world to me! I definitely think I'll be doing more Jelsa stories in the future, but this is it for this one. Please let me know your thoughts, and thanks again for the support!**_


End file.
